Eberhard of Friuli

Eberhard of Friuli (815-16 December 866) was Duke of Friuli from 846 to 866, succeeding Unruoch II of Friuli and preceding Unruoch III of Friuli.

Biography
Eberhard was born in 815, the son of Unruoch II of Friuli. He was elevated to the court of the Frankish Empire under Louis the Pious, and he defended his fief of Friuli from the Bulgars, driving the barbarians from the peninsula from 820 to 830. Eberhard remained loyal to Louis during the rebellions of his sons, and he brought about a reconciliation between Lothaire of Italy and his father Louis. From 842 to 851, he defended Rome from the Saracens, who had pillaged Rome several times during invasions from southern Italy, and the war ended in 851 with the defeat of the Saracens. He forced the vanquished to convert to Christianity, preaching the Gospel to them himself, and he died in 866.